Strangers like me
by KatBauer
Summary: The team finds a baby that turns out to be an 0-8-4 and it's up to Jemma and Skye to look after it. Fluff and mild angst ensues. Based on a Tumblr prompt, but considerably longer than what I had originally written.
1. Chapter 1

"We are not keeping it," Ward says, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing the baby warily.

"_It_ is actually _a girl_," Jemma primly corrects him, earning an eye roll from him.

"We should name her," Skye chimes in, handing Jemma one of her blankets so she can wrap the baby in it, which Jemma dutifully does.

"No. If you name something, then you get attached to it."

"She is not an _it_ nor a _thing_," Jemma is starting to lose her temper, and Skye can barely hold back the smug smirk that tugs at the corner of her lips. "She is _a baby_, agent Ward."

"She is an 0-8-4. And we all know what that means."

"Yes. It means that we don't know what it means," Coulson finally interjects. "Agent Ward, a word, please?"

Ward huffs, unfolds his arms and after giving Skye a warning look (that she completely ignores, obviously), he follows Coulson out of the lounge.

"So! What name did you have in mind?" Jemma asks once they are both alone with the baby, and Skye smirks at her.

"Elsa."

"Elsa? Really?" Jemma scrunches up her nose, doubtfully.

"What? The kid just survived a snow storm and she didn't even cry once," Skye answers, gesturing towards the baby. "She might as well have Elsa's powers, for all that we know."

"Well, I suppose it does make sense," Jemma looks down at the itty bitty baby that she's currently holding in her arms, and carefully takes one of her tiny hands in hers, grinning widely when the baby instantly grabs a hold of her finger and tries to pull it into her mouth.

Skye slowly moves closer to Jemma until she's pressed against her side, and curiously brushes her fingertips against the baby's warm, rosy cheek. "What powers do you think she has?"

"It's too soon to tell," Jemma answers thoughtfully. "According to my calculations, she is no older than six months. And that is assuming that she actually does indeed have any powers, which we cannot know for certain."

"But she is so tiny."

"She is, isn't she? Poor thing. I can't imagine how scared she must have been, all alone in the middle of that awful storm, without her parents and her family."

Skye pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and sniffles, the sound catching Jemma's attention instantly. She turns to look at her, and her face falls at Skye's suddenly devastated, heartbroken expression.

"Skye? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired," Skye presses her palm against her forehead and closes her eyes for an instant, and when she opens them again, all traces of sadness are gone, almost as if they had never been there in the first place. She smiles at Jemma and cocks her head in the baby's direction. "Shouldn't we feed her or something? I bet she's starving."

And that's enough to get Jemma distracted, if only for the time being.

"I think I can recreate some baby formula in the lab. Or at least something that _resembles_ baby formula," she says as she gingerly hands the baby to Skye. "Stay with her. I'll come back as soon as I'm done."

Skye nods and begins to slowly rock the baby, cradling her protectively against her chest and making shushing noises. The baby reaches a hand up and tugs at the strands of loose brown hair that are falling over her face, making Skye chuckle as she carefully disentangles the tiny hand from her hair.

"You are really good with her," Jemma's voice startles Skye, and she snaps her head up, realizing that Jemma had been standing there the whole time just watching her. A small blush creeps up her cheeks and she shrugs once before ducking her head down.

"I like kids."

And suddenly Jemma is back at her side, her hands cupping Skye's face and her lips brushing against hers in a soft kiss.

"I like _you_," she says, and then she is gone.

Skye gapes at her, not knowing if she just dreamed the whole thing or if she is hallucinating. She looks down at the baby, whose big, blue eyes are staring intently at her, and she realizes for a brief second that Elsa's look is far more intelligent and understanding than it should be for a six month old.

"Okay, then," Skye mumbles under her breath, and slowly moves to sit down on the couch, carefully shifting the baby in her arms and sitting her down on her lap.

Elsa looks up at her then and grins, actually _grins_, and presses her tiny palm against Skye's neck.

Suddenly, colorful images begin to dance in front of Skye's eyes, images of people she doesn't recognize but that are smiling down at her, images of a small, pink room and a woman singing some old lullaby to her.

Just as they started, they quickly begin to fade until it all turns to black and all Skye can see are faces that appear and disappear in flashes of light, and there's confusion and fear.

And then there's silence.

"Skye? Skye, are you okay?" Ward's voice echoes through the lounge and Skye's eyes go wide as she desperately tries to focus her gaze on him, her hands trembling slightly as she holds on to Elsa.

"What the heck was that?!" Skye gasps when she finally snaps out of it.

Ward looks at her like she's grown an extra head, his voice laced with concern when he asks "What was what?"

"You didn't see it?"

"No? See what? What's going on?"

Skye opens her mouth to try and explain the images she had just seen, but just when she's about to, she feels Elsa move on her lap, her hand no longer pressed against her skin but clenched in a tiny fist. The baby looks up at her and there's something akin to fear in her eyes that makes Skye's heart tighten in her chest.

She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth and when she meets Ward's eyes again, she shakes her head and shoots him a bashful smile.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I fell asleep and I think I had a bad dream or something. It felt real."

Ward furrows his brows but nods in understanding. He glances down at the baby and makes a face when Elsa cuddles further into Skye and tries to hide her face behind her Skye's hair, clearly displeased with his presence.

"I don't think she likes you very much, Ward."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Seriously? How can you not like her? She's just a baby."

Ward is about to protest, but gets interrupted by Jemma, who enters the lounge and is almost bouncing with excitement as she holds a small bottle filled with white liquid in her hand.

"I did it!" she beams, proudly. "I replicated the baby formula in only one try!"

Skye lifts her head and chuckles in amusement, unable to tear her eyes away from Jemma and her infectious smile and her bright eyes and her flushed cheeks and...

Jemma then seems to finally notice that Ward is sitting right there next to Skye, and so she clears her throat, the flush in her cheeks turning into a deeper shade of pink as she smiles at them both with slight embarrassment.

"This formula covers all the nutritional requirements for any infant aged six months or older," she adds in a serious, professional voice.

Ward nods again and then stands up to leave. "Don't drop the baby," he says to Skye on his way out, making her roll her eyes, but tighten her hold on Elsa. Just in case.

"What was that all about?" Jemma asks, taking Ward's now vacated seat next to Skye and the baby. Elsa then stretches her hands out in Jemma's direction and lets out a soft, happy squeal when Jemma takes the hint and takes her in her arms.

"Forget Ward, we have a much bigger problem," Skye says almost in a whisper as she looks around the place to make sure no one is listening. "I think Elsa did something to me. Or, showed me something, I'm not sure."

"Showed you?" Jemma's voice is hesitant as her gaze shifts from Skye to the baby she is currently cradling against her chest with one arm while feeding her with the other.

"I don't know how she did it, but I saw her mom, Simmons. She was singing to her."

Something in Skye's voice makes Jemma turn to look at her, but Skye quickly ducks her head down and starts toying with one of Elsa's feet in an attempt to avoid Jemma's gaze.

"Skye…" Jemma tries, but when she gets no answer, she allows Elsa to hold the bottle herself and gently cups Skye's face in her hand, tilting it up so she can look her in the eye.

"Will you tell me what's wrong or do I have to poke and prod you until you do?"

"I think her mom is dead," Skye answers, bottom lip worried between her teeth.

Jemma lets out a heavy sigh, her fingertips dancing across Skye's cheek and moving to tuck her hair behind her ear. "As sad and awful as it is, it was to be expected. We looked everywhere for any possible signs and there were no survivors."

"It was an explosion," Skye says, her voice trembling slightly. "She showed me that, Simmons. I don't know how she did it, but I think that's her power."

"She is only a baby. It's not possible," Jemma murmurs, shaking her head in disbelief. "But then again, she shouldn't have survived the blast, either, or the storm that came after. And yet, here she is. Unscathed."

Skye swallows the sudden lump in her throat and grips Jemma's hand, pressing her body against her side, seeking her warmth and her comfort.

"Did Coulson say what are we going to do with her?"

Jemma shakes her head no and carefully pries the bottle away from Elsa's hands once she's done eating, setting it down on the coffee table in front of them.

"I wish I could see what she showed you," Jemma says, wrapping the baby up in Skye's blanket and slowly rocking her until she falls asleep, curled up against her chest.

Skye is silent as she watches Jemma tend to the baby, a small, shy smile forming on her lips when Elsa finally falls asleep. She pulls herself up just a little and tenderly kisses Jemma's cheek. "She looks good on you."

A small blush creeps up Jemma's neck and cheeks, and Skye can't help herself. She leans up once more and lightly brushes her lips along Jemma's jaw line, softly kissing the corner of her mouth before pulling back to look at her.

"I like you, too, you know."


	2. Chapter 2

"She can't stay here, sir."

"So what do you want us to do? Kick her off the plane?"

"That's not what I said," Ward narrows his eyes at Skye and then turns to Coulson. "We should take her somewhere safe, somewhere where people can take care of her."

"And isn't that exactly what we are doing?"

"We are an elite team, Simmons, not a nursery."

"Seriously, Ward. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that we have a baby on this plane," he answers, exasperated. "Do you need me to remind you what it is that we do? What our job is?"

"I think we all remember our job description very well, agent Ward," Jemma deadpans, glaring at him.

"Do you? Because if you did, she wouldn't be here."

"Alright, that's enough. Agent Ward, I understand your issues in regards to the chi-" Coulson waves towards the baby and when Skye blatantly glares at him, he immediately backtracks. "In regards to _Elsa_. But you also have to understand that right now, there is no safer place for her than here."

"We don't know what she is or what she is capable of, and we will not risk handing her over to the wrong hands."

Skye and Jemma both look at eachother and Skye instinctively holds the baby tighter against her chest. Jemma doesn't say a word, but she places her hand on the small of Skye's back, silently letting her know that she's there, something that Skye is more than grateful for.

"So until further notice," Coulson continues. "She is staying here, and Skye and Simmons will take care of her to the best of their abilities. Is that clear?"

Ward grumbles in disapproval, but nods. He waits until Coulson leaves the command center and then he turns to face Skye, who instantly takes a step backwards, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

"Just to be clear, I don't have a problem with her," he says, his gaze dropping for an instant to the sleeping baby snuggled against Skye's chest. "I just don't think this is the best place to raise a kid, that's all."

And without waiting for an answer, he turns on his heels and leaves.

"Well, that surely went well," Jemma sighs, scrunching up her nose.

"We can't tell them," Skye says, a deadly serious expression on her face when she turns to look at Jemma. "If Ward finds out what Elsa can do, he's going to throw her out the window and send her straight to the Fridge."

"I really don't think he would be capable of such thing, Skye," Jemma says softly, trying to appease Skye. "If anything, he is just concerned about Elsa's well being."

"You agree with him now?"

"No, I do not. But I do understand his point."

"So what should we do, then? Put her in a foster home with a family that doesn't know a thing about her or about what she is, and hope they don't kick her out after a month?"

Jemma then tilts her head a little to the side, eyes intently studying Skye's face. There's a moment of silence, during which neither of them says anything, until Jemma slowly reaches up and cradles Skye's face in her hands.

"What is this really about, Skye?"

Skye shakes her head, pulling away from Jemma's touch, and busies herself fixing the blanket currently wrapped around Elsa's tiny body. "We need to figure out where she's going to sleep tonight."

Jemma pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, but decides not to push the topic any further for the time being. So instead, she nods and smiles, leaning in to kiss Elsa's temple.

"I'm sure we can fix something for her."

xxx

"Skye, you have to put her in the crib."

"But she doesn't like it."

"She doesn't like it or _you_ don't like it?"

Skye looks down at Elsa, who is comfortably sitting on her lap, and when the baby lifts her head to stare back, Skye hugs her just a little bit tighter.

"Ten more minutes?" she pleads, and when Jemma raises an eyebrow at her, she pouts. "Come on, Simmons! Please?"

Jemma rolls her eyes and sits down on the bed next to Skye, lightly nudging her hip with hers until Skye takes the hint and scoots over to make room for her on the already small bed.

Skye then picks up the tiny baby and holds her up, playfully rubbing the tip of her nose against hers until Elsa is giggling and squirming in her arms, causing both Jemma and Skye to giggle as well.

With one last giggle, Elsa stretches her arms out and Jemma wastes no time taking her in her arms, her heart swelling when the baby hides her face in the curve of her neck, one tiny hand pressed against Jemma's cheek.

And then she sees it.

Colorful images begin to swirl in front of her eyes. People she's never met before, places she's never been to, and then Skye's worried face leaning down to look at her, and the sudden feeling of warmth filling her.

The image quickly vanishes and it's replaced by another one of Jemma herself, but now Skye is next to her, kissing her and laughing and there is that feeling of happiness and warmth again.

And then as unexpectedly as it started, it all ends. All the images disappear and Jemma is left gasping, eyes wide in shock as her brain desperately tries to make sense of what she just saw. In her arms, Elsa is looking up at her with curiosity, her piercing blue eyes intently staring at her, almost as if she was waiting for a reaction.

"What did you see?" Skye asks, her voice a low whisper.

Jemma swallows hard and looks down at Elsa, who is now grinning from ear to ear, her hand tightly clutching at the front of Jemma's shirt.

"You, and… and me?" Jemma finally answers, struggling to put into words the images still dancing in her head. "We were… kissing," her brows furrow and Skye recognizes that look instantly. It's the look Jemma has when she's deep in thought, trying to solve a particularly complicated equation.

"Skye, I think she showed me a memory," Jemma says, eyes going wide again when realization hits her. "_Her_ memory."

xxx

"So what you're saying is that Elsa can…" Skye fidgets with the hem of her shirt, her bottom lip worried between her teeth. "Put her memories in our heads when she touches us?"

"It would explain what you saw," Jemma nods, enthusiastically. "Those were memories, _her_ memories, more specifically. That woman you mentioned singing? She was more than likely, Elsa's mother."

"And she showed me how they died," Skye mumbled, glancing towards the small crib next to her bed, where after much fussing, Elsa had finally fallen asleep in.

"Yes, that too." Jemma's voice is now low, and when she reaches for Skye's hand to lace their fingers together, there's a sad smile playing on her lips. "She adores you, Skye. If what I saw was any indication of it, what she feels when she is with you…" Jemma trails off then, and she finds herself at a loss for words for the second time that day.

"You make her happy," she says, simply.

"There's something you need to know," Skye blurts out, cringing at the sound of her own trembling voice. She grips Jemma's hand tighter, and pulls it into her lap, absentmindedly playing with her fingers as she searches for the words she desperately needs to say.

"What do you know about 0-8-4s?"

"Not much, honestly," Jemma answers with a pensive expression as her head tilts to the side. "Only that they are objects of unknown origin. Alien, probably. Like the one we found in Peru, during our second mission."

"Elsa is an 0-8-4, right?"

"Well, technically no. Not anymore. We both know she had a family who died during some sort of explosion. But I suppose she is still an 0-8-4 to the rest of the team."

"I don't know anything about my family," Skye says abruptly, after a long pause. "I don't even know where I come from, or where I was born. All I know is that there were people who died to protect me. An entire village. And a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

Skye stops talking then, terrified of having said too much, and a heavy silence falls upon the bunk, the only sounds being those from the plane's engine and the soft snoring of the baby.

She doesn't dare to look up, too scared to face what she might find in Jemma's eyes, so she tries to pull her hand away, but she's surprised when Jemma refuses to let go.

"Skye…," Jemma's voice is soft and soothing, and when Skye finally lifts her head, what she sees in her eyes takes her breath away and steals her words.

It's in that exact moment when Jemma understands that sometimes words are not enough, that there are times when words simply cannot convey the feelings and emotions felt, and that is in those times when actions speak louder.

And so she lets her heart, rather than her brain, guide her, and it's precisely that what makes her finally close the painful distance between them, kissing Skye with everything she has and hoping, praying that, that would be enough.

When they finally pull apart, hearts racing and feeling light headed, Skye presses her forehead against Jemma's and stares straight into her eyes. She is done hiding, she thinks, and she is done keeping secrets from the people she cares about the most.

She leans in to steal another kiss, and when Jemma doesn't pull away from her, and kisses her back again instead, Skye can't help the grin that forms on her lips. She feels as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"So, we're good?" she asks tentatively.

"Hmm, more than good, I would say," Jemma licks her lips, her gaze dropping to Skye's mouth for a brief second before she recomposes herself and settles for kissing Skye's cheek this time.

"You are _you_, Skye," Jemma says, lips now pressed against Skye's ear. "Where you were born does not define who you are, and neither does a silly number."


End file.
